We don’t love talking about the technology to back that up, and usually we don’t have to.  Tools for communications and organization have become so ubiquitous, inexpensive, and user-friendly that we usually get to work with clients to figure out how best to deploy them in support of kick-butt strategy.

However, we’ve been reminded of late that a little thinking about your technology toolkit is a good thing now and then.  So, three things we hope you’ll take to heart as you consider how to implement the best possible strategies for communications, advocacy, and fundraising:

1)  Make sure your technology isn’t holding you back.

We’ve been a bit like a broken record in preaching that successful communications is not about the tools, it’s about executing a well-thought and appropriate strategy (for example, here, here, here, and here).  That’s still the true story, but some recent work has reminded us that a baseline level of access to the tools is necessary to implement almost any good strategy.  If, on a regular basis, you find yourself saying (or hearing from your strategy team) anything like, “That’s a great idea but it’s a nonstarter because our website can’t accommodate it,” then your technology might be holding you back.

At the very least, if your website doesn’t include a content management system (CMS), with baked-in capacity for RSS feeds and the flexibility to add, change, and test buttons, blocks, and other ways of conveying information, then your technology is holding you back and it’s time to fix it.

2) Never build your own content management system.

There are a slew of open-source content management systems available for every budget level – Wordpress, Drupal, and Joomla, to name a few – and if you’ve got budget and are looking for something a bit more “plug and play” there are several good options there, too.  It is never a good option to build your own CMS or contract with a developer or firm to build your site on his/her/their own homebuilt one-off CMS.  It’s a bad idea for at least two good reasons:

• The big systems have thousands of users who have tested the system, found it’s bugs and weaknesses, and in the case of the open-source solutions devoted their time and brains to making the system better.  Not true with the home-brew CMSes.  Fewer smart minds and fewer users equals a lot less testing and improvement, which means less usability for you, and less likelihood that the system will have grown to accommodate the baseline technology referenced above.
• If you build your website on a home-grown system, you are forever tied to the developer who built the system. There are hundreds of excellent developers with oodles of experience building on Wordpress (just as an example).  If for any reason you want to bring in a new developer, if your site is built on Wordpress you will be awash in terrific options.  A homebuilt system has one or two developers who know it inside and out.  If you want to switch providers, you’re stuck – either with that developer, or with building a whole new website on a better CMS.

That one-off CMS built by your Communications Director’s son’s college roommate might seem like a bargain now, but it will end up being a very costly decision over time.

3) Choose systems that integrate as much as possible.

There are terrific options for managing websites, mass email, social media, membership lists, donors, and more.  Luckily, many of them work together so you don’t have to figure out how to manage multiple databases in order to most effectively communicate with your volunteers, advocates, and donors.  We usually talk about this in the same way we talk about not letting your technology hold you back – having the same people in 10 different places certainly holds you back – but it’s so important we thought it deserved it’s own “thing” in this week’s 3 things.  Keeping track of how people end up on your list, what they best respond to and when, what they like to do, what they can be inspired to do, and how they’re connected to their networks is vital information – online and offline.  Integrating your databases as completely as possible is a good technology investment.

1. You are not your audience. Usually, neither is your organization’s staff.  If you’re looking to make policy change, your audience might not be your organization’s current list of supporters.  Be clear about who you need, and be willing to really understand what will move that audience to act  For example, Environmentalists: you may care about marine ecosystems, but the audience you need to activate on behalf of climate legislation might be much more motivated to preserve clean beaches for their kids to play in.*  Never lie, but always be willing to message to the comfort zone of your target audience, which may not be the people you’ve already got on your side.

2. You can’t say everything you want to, at least not all at once. Your commitment to your cause, issue, and/or organization no doubt has contributed to you becoming an expert on the topic, steeped in the many nuances and details, the evidence trail that supports your position, and the myriad problems with your opponents’ point of view.  Resist the urge to try to cram all of that into your external messaging.  Start with triage: if your target audience could only take in three discrete pieces of information, what would they need to know to be effective advocates, donors, or volunteers?  No cheating on this one – narrow down to three discrete ideas, concepts, or facts, not compilations or greatest hits. Once those three bits have embedded themselves in your audience’s consciousness, what are the next three bits?  And so on.  Develop messaging that builds, always starting with where your audience is.

3. Tell stories. Weave your “three bits” into narratives that can be much more easily remembered, integrated into existing knowledge, and understood than random pieces of information.  Sticking with the environmental example, rather than spitting out statistics about beach erosion or pollution, identity an archetypal beach, one that used to be an oasis for family fun but has been frequently closed due to polluted waters.  Describe, or better, depict the consequences of the pollution – did it give kids rashes or worse? Result in dead fish on the surface? What is the picture your audience should get in their heads about these bits of information? And include a “so what” as the denouement – what can your audience do about it? How is what your asking of them connected to a solution?

Developing excellent messages is an art and a science, grounded in good information and proven techniques, including the three above in addition to many others.  We’d love to know what you’ve done that’s worked, or lessons learned from messaging that has come up short.  Share your thoughts in the comments, or shoot us an email – info@englin.net – to be featured as a future Three Things author.

*Much more on this in a future blog post on Earth Justice’s work in Re: Green – The Ecological Roadmap, A Guide to American Social Values and Environmental Engagement.  Download the executive summary here: http://bit.ly/yAlla (downloads a PDF).

Another thought related to keeping content fresh: Blogging (or updating your web site) can be as much about refining and practicing the delivery of your message as it is about actually delivering and spreading a message.

All non-profits have a message they are trying to deliver.  And messages are best delivered as stories that strike a chord with your audience (donors, activists, advocates, legislators, etc, etc, etc.).  What you say on your blog shouldn’t just be delegated to your communications or online team, but the ideas for posts should also be cultivated and refined by your senior leadership.  Maybe not daily or even weekly, but regularly, because practice does make prefect.

Not to mention, everyone loves to hear, read and share a good story.

Hat tip to Sasha Dichter for reminding us about this.

-Stephen

To keep them coming back, the content has to be there and that means someone has to create the content.  Easier said than done. We’re here to help with this week’s Three Things – Three Things to help ensure you keep your content fresh, and your users coming back.

1) Let your activity pull you. Even if the most recent entry in the latest news column on your home page is from last quarter’s annual fundraising dinner, you’ve probably been busy in the last 2 months.  Make sure those visiting the site see that. Some quick examples to keep things current:
-Take 2 minutes at the next board meeting and snap a picture of members in action with a paragraph about the most important thing they discussed that day.
-Take 5 minutes to record a quick video report from your latest member training workshop.
-Recap any significant event within a day of it happening.  Remember to include the pictures and video.

Beyond remembering to always take pictures and video, not much forethought is necessary to give quick summaries and show that your organization is alive and kicking and making a difference in the world.  Make sure your web site reflects the hard work your organization does in day to day and week to week.

2) Push next steps. What’s next?  There is always a next step: for you, for your members, for your partners.  Reporting on what’s happened helps show activity, but connecting last week’s success to next week’s plan gives your members an update this week and a reason to come back again next week.  Two examples:
-Post a quick report from the email call to action you sent the week before.  Thank the 400 people who contacted their member of Congress and include a quote in the press from a member announcing their support for your legislation.  Now if you could only find 3 more votes to get it out of committee.
-Create a graphic for your homepage that shows the status of your annual fundraising campaign and a pitch from one of your grassroots fundraisers.  This shows progress, makes an ask and gives another voice to your pitch. Not to mention, your supporters will check back to see what other grassroots leaders are saying.

3) Plan. Ideally, you’re not only doing both of the above, but there is already a plan for the next quarter about what will happen when.  You know what events are coming, what your fundraising goals are and what your priorities are for this quarter and next. Step back with your organization’s calendar and add the new web content that needs to be created around events and activities.  Some you can outline now and then finish when the time comes.  Some you need to be ready with the camera to take pictures, capture video or antecdotes from participants.  With your content calendar planned a few weeks or month in advance, you can see where the holes are.  No updates planned during the first week of September?  Too much in the last week of August?  If keeping content fresh is important and you know where the gaps are a month out, you’re a step ahead of the rest.

Pull, Push and Plan – that’s this week’s three things to help keep your web content fresh and your members coming back.  Let us know what you think in the comments below!  (And if you need help making it all come together, we’ve love to help, so drop us a note or give us a call).

And if you’ve got Three Things to get off your chest that will make others lives a bit easier, shoot us an email – we’d love to feature your ideas in this space!

This week we’re not adding things to your to do list, but offering up a few items to remove: Three Things NOT to do when redesigning or reworking your website:

1) Don’t let the technology lead. We’ve written before about the difference between tools and strategies: the fact that your tech team can build it doesn’t mean you should use it. Make sure the strategy is leading the technology decisions, not the other way around. Figure out what you want to do, then work with your tech team to identify the best tools to help you do it.

2) Don’t make content commitments you haven’t already staffed for. Yes, that new “today’s news” blog feature on your home page might be cool, but unless you’ve already worked out what you’re going to put in that spot every day, and who’s going to put it there, don’t make that content commitment. Going a bit further, don’t make content commitments that you haven’t linked to your strategy. Even if you’ve already identified the perfect person to be responsible for updating “today’s news” every day on the website, don’t put him or her on that task until you’ve clearly defined what it’s for, why you want it there, what part of your audience will look at it, and how you’ll make sure they’re looking.

3) Don’t forget your primary mission. Shabbir Safdar asks “what would you clear your homepage for?” to focus his clients on their mission when they’re considering what do to with their websites. It’s a great place to start: if your website could only do one thing, what would it be? What would be the single call to action you’d keep, if you had to get rid of everything but one?

And that’s our Three Things for this week. What do you think – any other pitfalls you’ve successfully avoided in your website redesigns? Let us know in the comments…

And, as always, if you’ve got Three Things you’ve been dying to tell the world, shoot us an email – we’d love to share your ideas in this space!

At it’s core, Web 2.0 is just technology giving us more tools to share content and be social.  Where articles used to be clipped from newspapers or magazines and passed around the office with the checklist on top to make sure everyone sees it, now they are emailed, tweeted, Digg’ed, tagged or posted to facebook.  Content sharing tools allows you to turn your members, users, or readers into messengers.

This week’s three things answers the question: how I do help my content (AKA message) spread?

1) Shocker – ASK for it. Make sure you have put the tools in place so that all of your blog posts, web site pages or emails have the social media chiclets (the little button with facebook or twitter icons or that says “share this”).  They are very easy to add to your site with almost every CMS.  Once they are there, don’t be afraid to ask users to take advantage of them.

2) Share yourself.  Engage your membership on social networks.  Share content from your site and others through facebook, twitter, and other networks.  You’re content will spread to new audiences and people who think their friends woudl benefit from it will share it again.

3) Know why you’re content should be shared and is being shared. Content is King.  You already deliver high quality, relevant and timely content to your members through your web site and email communications.  The content ties directly to your organization’s mission and helps your members learn more, advocate better or accomplish whatever else your organization is working on this year.  Make sure the content you produce and highlight is the most relevant to this year’s goals.  The more engaging and relevant your content, the more your members will want to talk about it.

The second part – why your content is being shared. Use new tracking tools to track what type of content users share more often.  Are particular topics shared more?  Particular types of pitches?  Learn what works best so you can to replicate the success.

Those are three basic tips to get started.  Do you have other tips to that have worked in spreading your content to others?

And that’s the Three Things for this week! Do you have Three Things you’d like to get off your chest? Shoot us an email – we’d love to feature your ideas in this space!

Oh and one last thing – if you like this or any other posts on our blog – be friendly and share them by clicking “Share This” below. Thanks!

If it’s Thursday… you know the drill! This week, we’ve got three things about developing online content:

1. Make it scannable. All of the available evidence is conclusive: people don’t read online content, they scan it. Your beautifully constructed sentences and artfully worded deep thoughts are for naught. In fact, if you’re reading this you’re an anomaly. Your online audience scans, they don’t read, so make the important points pithy, standalone, and standout.

2. Tell stories. Ten thousand facts aren’t as powerful as a single anecdote that powerfully illustrates some of them – that’s true online and offline, too. Look at your website and see how deep you have to wade before you find a compelling story that illustrates a key message. Good stories grab attention and deliver a message in an accessible way – make sure you’re putting stories to work in your content.

3. Use multiple mediums. Say it with words, say it with pictures, say it with a video, then say it again with a question – “Do you think all children deserve access to quality preschool education? Yes or No.” Allowing many ways for your audience to see, feel, interact with, and really understand your message is one of the most powerful elements of online communications – make sure you’re putting it to work!

Bonus: a fourth thing! There are dozens of very good resources all across the web to help you develop and use good online content to drive donations and activism. Among our favorites is the collection in Network for Good’s Website 101 Article Index and an article on Convio’s blog, Connection Cafe, titled Content Strategy Tips.

How have you kept your organization’s content web-friendly and action-oriented? Do tell in the comments…

And that’s the Three Things for this week! Do you have Three Things you’d like to get off your chest? Shoot us an email – we’d love to feature your ideas in this space!

There are numerous web design checklists around the web.  Whether you are working with an internal team or bringing in a vendor to help accomplish it, you’ll want to ask yourself some questions and ask the team doing the work a few questions.  Here are five of each to get you started:

5 questions to ask yourself:

Why do you need a new web site?
Do you need to re-brand your organization? Does your site not allow you to take advantage of newer tools and technologies?  Is your content dated and it’s time to give it and the overall look and feel a fresher look?  Is the site not accomplishing what it’s supposed to?  Can you not determine what it is accomplishing?

What is the purpose of your web site? or What organizational need is it filling/supporting?  
Education, Advocacy, Fund raising, Selling, Community, Organizing.  It could be any of these or something else, but you should know and if there are multiple goals, you should know which are higher priority.  In other words – if you could only chose one thing a user would do on your site, what would it be?

Who do you want using your web site?
Educating who?  Advocating what to whom/from whom?  Raising funds from?  Building a community for whom?  You get the picture.  The better you can describe this group or groups, the better you can build a site to engage them.

How will your users find the web site or targeted content on the site?
Search engines, email communications, social networking, offline communications, etc.  Once you have a pretty new site, you’ll want the your world to know.

Do you have the content for the new site or can you develop it in house?
Web sites can be gorgeous, user friendly and built to convert visitors into donors/members/activists.  But content is king.  You have to have something relevant to say.  Do you know what that is?  

Five questions to ask your web design team:

Am I saying this well for the web?
I know my message and have developed content, but need help making it work for the web.

Will it be as simple as possible for users to do the one thing we want them to do?
Will users know what that is and is there anything about the site that would stop them from doing it?

How will I update the site?
Is there an easy to use content management system that allows our staff to add and edit content?  What parts of the site can be changed internally by staff and what will require outside assistance?  

How will the site integrate with my other systems?
Will it be easy for those who sign up, donate or otherwise engage with our new web site to be captured in our current database?  

How will I know the site is accomplishing it’s goals?
(assuming you’ve identified them in #2 above) Will there be an easy way for me to review data on how people use the site?  How will you help optimize that process?

-Stephen

First his story:

“One day, I’m walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and says, “Do you have a dollar for four quarters?” He held out his hand with four quarters in it.

Curious, I engaged with him. I took out a dollar bill and took the four quarters.

Then he turned to me and said, “can you spare a quarter?”

How many panhandlers (or strangers in general) have you walked by when they are just asking for for some change?  Would you be more likely to give someone change and then maybe even through in a tip?

It wouldn’t work all the time, but I bet it definitely works more often than just asking.

Seth’s point is that “Too often, we close the sale before we even open it.” and that we should “Interact first, sell second.”

That’s obvious, right?  In theory, maybe, but certainly not in practice.

How often is the first interaction you have from an organization an ask for you to give to the cause?  Political candidates are often horrible at this.  Some think you shouldn’t send a message that doesn’t make a direct, hard ask for a contribution.

But where is the engagement?  Where do you give people (members, potential donors, etc.) an opportunity to have an interaction with your organization? Where can you deliver something of value that gets people engaged?

Here are a couple of examples:

• Democratic GAIN has an online training manual, in Wiki form, that both provides good information for its members as well as allows its members to add content and improve the manual for everyone.
• Taglit-Birthright Israel asked parents of their alumni to share their stories about what the gift of a trip to Israel meant for their children. Parents not only were able share their story, but also were sent other parents stories creating a shared experience.
• President Obama’s Organizing for America is still in it’s early stages but is attempting to provide Obama supporters with an opportunity to stay connected and organize to advance the same policy goals that the campaign in the fall sought.  Do you want to bet that the people who participate are more likely to give funds than other candidates in the past whose fundraising list turns into a weekly contribution ask messages?
• ActBlue, an online clearinghouse for Democratic donors, provides the interaction by creating a mechanism for people to find, give, and raise money for their favorite Democratic candidates and organizations.  Like the panhandler, they’ve built into their interaction an opportunity to give (IE change for a dollar).  At the bottom of every candidate donation form is an opportunity to leave a tip (can you spare a quarter)?

Do you know of doing this well – providing real engagement while at the same time still hitting their fundraising or conversion goals?

-Stephen